McCullough Out Again

USC tailback Sultan McCullough will sit out his third consecutive game when the Trojans play Oregon State on Saturday at the Coliseum, but he has not decided whether to undergo surgery for his strained abdomen, USC Coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday.

McCullough, the Trojans’ leading rusher with 410 yards in six games, has not played since re-aggravating the injury against Arizona State on Oct. 13. The junior originally strained his abdomen in USC’s season opener against San Jose State but played in the next four games.

Juniors Sunny Byrd and Chad Pierson will continue to fill in for McCullough, with redshirt freshman Chris Howard serving as their backup.

Byrd has averaged only 3.0 yards in 64 carries and Pierson has yet to carry the ball, though he has caught two passes for 59 yards.

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Nickel back Kevin Arbet returned to practice but continued to be slowed by an injury to his right ankle. Carroll said he hoped Arbet could step up his recovery in time to play Saturday.

“He’s an important part of our football team,” Carroll said. “He’s done a lot of things in a lot of areas--the returns, the coverage, the kicking game, all he does in the nickel [formation] and the corner as well. If he doesn’t play, that’s a significant loss for us. We think he’s going to make it, though.”

Outside linebacker Chris Prosser will not be available for the Oregon State game as he continues to battle the lingering effects of a concussion. He will be reevaluated Saturday. ... Linebacker Matt Grootegoed, whose shoulder continues to bother him, has been taking it easy the first few days of practice this week so he can go full speed against Oregon State. ... Tailback Darryl Poston’s sprained knee ligaments will cause him to sit out the game.